Heap Big Plane, Chiefie
Brett McS sent this to me yesterday. Peter was dead impressed.
New Tech Spy - Boeing to take on Airbus with (1000 seat) giant 797 Blended Wing plane
Boeing is preparing a 1000 passenger jet that could reshape the Air travel industry for the next 100 years. The radical Blended Wing design has been developed by Boeing in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Center. The mammoth plane will have a wing span of 265 feet compared to the 747’s 211 feet, and is designed to fit within the newly created terminals used for the 555 seat Airbus A380, which is 262 feet wide. The new 797 is in direct response to the Airbus A380 which has racked up159 orders, but has not yet flown any passengers.
Emphasis theirs.
May 2nd, 2006 at 8:12 pm
The way it is written up, it appears to be a master-stroke by Boeing. Airbus have sunk $14billion into a conventional wing-and-tube design (A380) and are therefore stuck with a far less efficient design for the foreseable future.
May 2nd, 2006 at 8:17 pm
And more air turbulence!
May 3rd, 2006 at 1:31 am
When I saw the A380 on its maiden flight last year I thought it looked like (a lot) more of the same and that if the Boeing boys came up with something different it could be in trouble. Which it is! Go Boeing!
Once you get away from a tubular shape you can configure the seats in all sorts of ways. I’d rather like a grand restaurant layout, with round tables seating 12 and serving gourmet meals throught the flight. Only way to travel.
May 3rd, 2006 at 7:57 am
What about bunk beds, Some Like It Hot style.
May 3rd, 2006 at 8:48 am
Oooh aaah! Golly gee willickers! Boeing recreates “le voyage internationel” but at a far lower cost than AirBlunders manages to reduce proletravel to its lowest level. Go Boeing! “I couldn’t aspire to anything higher…..”
May 3rd, 2006 at 12:40 pm
I long to be invited to dinner on the 1st Class Flight Deck. Much intrigue amongst that set I hear. I’ll order fresh caught little black duck allah D’orange. Tourist only get minced duck Exit-Rolls-Royce.
May 4th, 2006 at 1:23 am
LOL!